Review: ‘See How They Dance’

Fate brings together two women who loved a tormented artist in Claude Miller's ludicrous "See How They Dance."

Fate brings together two women who loved a tormented artist in Claude Miller’s ludicrous “See How They Dance.” The prolific helmer seems to have lost control of his material here; relationships go fatally undeveloped, and an attempt to inject a modicum of humor falls particularly flat. Oddly enough, Maya Sansa speaking Mohawk is the most believable element of the pic, which bombed in France following an early August release. Apart from Rome, it’s unlikely other fests will add “Dance” to their cards.

Among the problems is the editing in the first half, which chops up timeframes and stymies any connection to the characters. Vic (circus great James Thierree) is a performance artist with a hit show and major personality issues. Lise (Marina Hands) is a documaker who becomes Vic’s wife; Alex (Sansa) is a Mohawk doctor in remote Canada who’s his final companion. The two women meet after Vic’s death, when Lise’s train just happens to get stuck in Alex’s town. Thierree’s physicality impresses, but he’s insufferably antic, and Hands is colorless. Stilted dialogue and poorly chosen music don’t help.